15 Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp with Parsley

This Garlic Butter Shrimp is tender and flavorful shrimp sautéed in an aromatic garlic butter sauce, totally mouthwatering and succulent. It comes together in only 15 minutes and you’ll want to make it again and again…

How to Select the Right Shrimp

This Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe works best with raw, jumbo size shrimp that have been peeled and deveined. We have a detailed guide on How to Select the Right Shrimp.

At the supermarket, most raw shrimp is either frozen or defrosted shrimp that was previously frozen. As shrimp is highly perishable, it’s generally easier to buy frozen and defrost yourself when ready for use. Here are some tips on how to thaw shrimp.

How to Make Garlic Butter Shrimp with Parsley

If your shrimp are frozen, thaw them quickly by placing them in a colander and let the cold tap water run through, and pat them dry with paper towels.

Then melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add minced garlic and chopped parsley. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the defrosted shrimp and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until the shrimp starts to turn pink, and then add in the remaining butter and lemon juice. Stir until butter is melted and everything is well combined. Remove from heat.

Tips and Secrets for Making Garlic Butter Shrimp

The most important tip for making this dish successfully is to get the perfect shrimp texture. And the key to these succulent and flavorful shrimp is not to overcook them. Watch the shrimp constantly to avoid them becoming rubbery and tough.

Thaw shrimp properly, and then make sure to pad them dry with paper towel before cooking them. Here is a guide on how to thaw shrimp fast.

Try to use fresh lemon juice and fresh garlic instead of store bought lemon juice and garlic powder to get that fragrant flavor on these sautéed shrimp.

How to Serve Garlic Butter Shrimp?

You can serve it with rice or pasta to make an easy weeknight meal.

It also goes well on top of toasted bread or baguette crostini if you’re making party appetizers.

Make-ahead Tip

You can prepare the ingredients the night before, so that the next day when you get home, you can get the dinner ready in no time. Here are a few things you can do ahead of time.

Place the shrimp in a container, covered with lid or plastic wrap, and place them in the fridge the day before cooking.

Cook rice or pasta. (Heat them up in microwave or skillet before dinner)

Mince the garlic and chop parsley

How to Make Garlic Butter Shrimp Healthier?

Replace butter with the same amount of olive oil.

Serve with brown rice and vegetables such as broccoli.

Do the shrimp have to be thawed? Yes, you need to thaw and prep the shrimp and pad them dry with paper towel before cooking. It is an important step to make the shrimp tender and full of flavor. Otherwise, the dish can be too watery from frozen shrimp, and the shrimp won’t be cooked evenly. If you forget to take the shrimp from freezer the night before, here is a guide on how to thaw them quickly.

Can I bake this in the oven? Yes, you can definitely bake it in the oven and it tastes amazing.

Ingredients for Making Garlic Butter Shrimp with Parsley

Jumbo raw shrimp: I bought frozen jumbo sized shrimp, deveined and shells removed. They are from my local supermarket.

Unsalted butter: it’s better to use unsalted butter for this recipe.

Garlic cloves

Parsley: I used curly parsley instead of flat-leaf parsley as I find the curly parsley gives me a nice and bright green color. There is no significant difference in terms of taste for this recipe.

Salt and pepper

Lemon: I used fresh lemon instead of bottled lemon juice. Tips for getting more lemon juice from the fresh the lemon is to roll them on the countertop with gentle pressure.

All Equipment I Used for Making this Garlic Butter Shrimp with Parsley

Colander: I place the frozen shrimp in a colander and run through tap water to thaw

Cast Iron Skillet: Cast iron lends extra flavor to shrimp during cooking, although any skillet will do

Ingredients

Instructions

If your shrimp are fresh, pat them dry with paper towel before cooking. If still frozen, thaw quickly by placing them in a colander and let the cold tap water run through. It might take about 15 minutes.